Not My Fairytale (ON HOLD)

6: Costume Shopping

-Annabelle

I took a sharp breath in, hurting my lungs. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. Paralyzed, ignorance was the only way I could handle the situation at the moment.

The woman at the table made the first move. She was the perfect model of a woman. She looked to be around six foot, with long, thin legs. Her silky, dark brown hair reached the middle of her back in perfect beach wave curls. Her eyes reminded me of my nightmare I had last week, sparkly deep blue. She didn't look a day over 22, but yet she screamed importance and power. She pushed her chair behind her as she stood up. She walked with poise and perfect posture as she silently made her way to me and General Will. She took a deep and loud sigh as she placed her hands on General Will's shoulders, moving her hands, massaging to relieve his tense state. His furious glare turned soft, and he turned his head to look her in the eyes. General Will almost symbolised a big teddy bear, the way he was looking at this woman. I would think he was a generous, love-struck man, if I didn't know his backround. They gazed into eachother's eyes for quite a while, almost as if they were having a silent conversation. I was thankful for this lady. I knew General Will was still irritated, but she calmed him down, hopefully enough to the point where my punishment wouldn't be as severe.

"Please, Will." I bearely heard her whisper it, but all the same, her voice was as perfect as the voice of an angel.

"Fine. She better explain well before I change my mind." General Will growled, but very lowly, I was sure my other family members couldn't have heard it.

The woman shed a gentle smile and kissed General Will softly on his scruffy cheek before turning to my family. "Thank you for your hospitality, and the delicious cup of coffee, Dennis and Caroline. We must be heading out though. Now that we have collected your daughter, we can gladly continue on our journey. We will have your children back no later than ten o'clock tonight." She smiled at them, making me think she couldn't cause any harm to anyone. Ever. She nodded her head towards the door frame, signalling for them to make an exit.

My family stared at her, hypnotized. They looked as shocked as I felt, for me not getting punished. Well, atleast not yet. They all scraped their chairs back loudly, making me wince. Soldier Steven lead the way as my four family members trailed behind and Soldier Adam bringing up the rear down the hallway to the front door. I was about to follow them, when a large hand grabbed my upper arm and yanked me back.

"You've been very disrespectful, Annabelle. If for some reason you've forgotten, we are your superiors and you will treat us with all respect and more." General Will bent down, and growled in my face. He was so close that I felt his minty breath on my cheeks.

"I- I..." I tried to explain that it was an accident and I had lost track of time. My usually snarky attitude has gone out the window, while a terrified and wimpy girl stands in her place.

"I could've accepted the fact that you were late, but what you did. It took guts. And I am not pleased, Annabelle." He growled once again, as he stood straight up.

Now I was confused. If he wasn't mad about me showing up late, than what could he be mad about?

"Will, now is not the time. We can wait for later in the day! But this discussion will not be forgotten." She gave me a thoughtful look, and she almost looked like she felt sorry for me.

I wanted to get away from these two creatures as fast as I could. I bowed my head in submission while I passed and scurried down the hallway. I made my way to the front door where my brothers and the soldiers were waiting, while both of my parents stood to the side. There was a dull mumbling still coming from the kitchen, but I couldn't make out any words with my human ears.

A few moments later, I picked up the sound of two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway. General Will and the woman appeared, hand-in-hand. The woman gave my parents one last smile and a farewell before we were guided out the door way. We were all pushed into a very large limo with more than enough seating space. Each of my brothers sat on either side of me and grabbed my hands. They always have to feel like they need to comfort me, and at the moment, I'm extremely greatful for their gestures. The lady and General Will sat across from us, so they could look at us, and Soldier Steaven and Soldier Adam sat in the front row, the farthest away from us. The car moved forward smoothly and I leaned my head on Jacob's soldier because I knew it would be a long ride.

"Anna, I won't let them hurt you. You're still my baby sister. But you definetly have some explaining to do." Jacob whispered softly in my ear. With that, he kissed the top of my head and turned his attention to the two figures in front of him. The lady in front of me crossed her legs and sat with straight posture.

"It looks as though I have yet to introduce myself to you, Annabelle. I am Princess Margaret Striker, but almost everyone calls me Princess Maggie." Her voice was one of the angels, and I almost fell under her spell. Bringing myself back to reality, I realized what she had just said. Royalty. The very thing I wanted to stay away from during this time. What is she doing here?

"I am the daughter of the current King John and Queen Jana, and sister of your future king, Damon Striker. The very man that you will be trying to impress." General Will let out a loud snort, and smirked as he was trying to keep a laugh back. The Princess turned and glared evilly at him, as he composed himself back to a emotionless state.

"As I was saying, I am also the mate of General Will here. When I heard about you, I wanted there to be a woman to help you through this. You know, with all the glitz and glam. These boys truly do not have any taste in fashion, especially for a lady. That is the reason I am here." She used hand gestures to exaggerate her point and gives me a curt smile.

I pick my head up from Jacob's shoulder and dare to look her in the eyes. They are so frightenly familiar that it makes me want to hide. They're the exact same sparkly blue in my dream. I swallow the lump in my throat, and dart my eyes away from the very thing that haunts me.

She cleared her throat and began speaking again, "We will be going into the kingdom, and be shopping in the town there. All the best gowns and suits will be available, as the money will be taken care of. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, so please enjoy it while you can. We should be arriving in less than 3 hours tops." All three of us nod our heads in understanding. In reality, I want nothing to do with this. I want to go home. I want to be with Connor...

She smiles, and starts enthusiastically talking about how we should be greatful and how much of an honor this is. I tune all of them out and gaze out the window. The trees are starting to change colors, from the vibrant green in the summer, to yellow, red, and sunset orange for the fall. I recall the memories of me and Connor's sunrise and sunset walks. How we chased eachother, talked about our days work, and what could possibly be the future. It was relaxing to think about. A smile crept onto my face recalling these memories. The trees always gave us a sense of security and privacy from the rest of the world. The colors comforted me when I had a rough day, and it felt like home. I became too relaxed to realize my eyelids started to droop. They became too heavy to lift, and the last thing I thought about was Connor, before I fell into darkness.



"Anna. Anna, sweetheart. We're here." I felt breath tickle my ear and a hand shake my shoulder.

I groggily opened my eyes and groaned when I was blinded by the sunlight.

A deep chuckle came from my side, and I snapped my head toward the sound.

I was greeted by the face of my brother, Micheal, who had a toothy smile on his face. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. We're at the Kingdom, we should be parked in a couple minutes."

I nodded my head in understanding because I still didn't trust my voice to talk.

"Now, I expect the best behavior out of everyone. There will be no trouble here today." General Will growled, still irritated about the earier events.

We were dropped of about three minutes later in the back of most of the shops and walked our way to the sidewalk where everyone was. I noticed the mixture of culture in the area. Vampires, Angels, and Werewolves all mingled happily among eachother in the most devine clothing. It's as if there were a struck lightening and everyone looked to see. I saw people lift their noses to sniff the air, and before I knew it, all eyes were on us. Some showed curiosity, but others showed disgust. I looked down at the ground in hopes that I could melt away.

We walked on the the sidewalk to our unknown destination. Everyone bowed as they passed Princess Maggie, and even some had the courage to greet General Will, Soldiers Adam and Steven, or Princess Maggie. All that was sent to me and my brothers were glares that said, "You aren't welcome here."

We eventually stopped in front of a large building. General Will opened the door and gestured for us to go inside. I stepped on a carpetted floor and took in my surroundings. My jaw dropped to the floor when I noticed suits and dresses galore. Heels and dress shoes lined on wall, and masks lined another. It was the biggest building I have ever been in, and it made me feel small. Deep within' the shop, I heard a squeal and stomping feet coming towards us. Princess Maggie plastered a smile on her face and made her way to the front to greet whoever was coming.

"Maggie! I am so excited you've made it!" An average size girl ran up and enveloped Princess Maggie in a hug. She was aroung 5' 8", with shoulder length red fiery hair, and square glasses around her bright green eyes.

"Quinn, how could I have not made it? I wouldn't ditch my best friend!" She laughed still hugging her friend. A low growl was heard behind us and I turned to see a slightly pissed off Soldier Adam.

"Oh shush it you! I was coming for you next! But royalty does have it's perks." Quinn let out a laugh as she pulled away from Princess Maggie and wrapped her arms around Soldier Adam's neck. Soldier Adam wrapped his large arms around Quinn's waist and pulled her to his body. Their lips connected, and smiles spread across both of their faces. They pulled away and stared into eachother's eyes with so much love. She looked away and and released her grip. She tried to get out of his grip, but with no success. He spun her around so her back was to his chest, and rested his head on her shoulder with his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"Sheesh! I can't have 30 seconds until he gets all possessive!" She chuckled again as he gave her a warning growl. "Will, Steven. It's deffinetly a pleasure to see you two again." She greeted them with a friendly wave and they both nodded at her with smiles. She turned to me and my brothers with an expectant face.

Princess Maggie cleared her throat and gestured to us with her hands. "Quinn, this here is Micheal and Jacob Stray. We will need suits, masks, and dress shoes for them." Quinn's face broke into a smile and outstretched her hand for both of them to shake.

"It's nice to meet you both! Please don't be shy with me. I'll try not to bite." She shook their hands, examining them up and down.

"And lastly, this is Annabelle Stray. She will need a gown, heels, and a mask as well." Quinn's smile faltered for half a second until it went back to it's friendly demeanor. She outstretched her hand to me, and I grasped it in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you as well. I've heard a bit about you, Annabelle. Let's see if you can live up to your reputation. Do you mind if I call you Anna?" She spit out all at once, I don't think I caught it all.

"I- I mean- sure?" I stuttered back. Her sparky and friendly attitude caught me off guard when everyone outside gave us the cold shoulder.

"Great! I think we all will learn to be the best of friends! Please call me Quinn! If you didn't figure out from his actions before, I am Adam's mate! I am the very best at my job, and I will make sure you look stunning for the ball! Now follow me back to dressing room and I will get you your costumes, shoes, and masks to try on. Follow me!" She forcefully took Soldier Adam's hands and made them let go of her. She skipped in front of us joyfully and we followed behind her in step. We came to a room surrounded by mirrors with a pedestial in the middle. Spaced out in between the mirrors were five curtains that led to a private room behind them and plush couch was set in front of the pedestial.

She pointed to three curtains and instructed us that that is where we will be changing. "The boys will find suits, masks and dress shoes for the boys, and Maggie and I will find heels, a gown, and a mask for Anna. We will be back in no more than five minutes. Ready team? GO!" She squealed and ran out of the dressing room, with a laughing Princess Maggie, and groaning annoyed boys.

A smile stretched onto my face and I plopped onto the couch.

"I like her. She's different then the other beasts. She's funny." Jacob commented, with my same smile that was glued to my face.

"Yeah. I was honestly expecting werewolves to be worse. General Will and his pups can be intimidating, but the Princess and Quinn seem sweet. They actually aren't that bad." Micheal expressed. I felt my stomach drop and a lump form in my throat. They smile that was one on my face had passed and formed into a straight line. It didn't matter how sweet, funny, or kind they were. They still made my life a living hell in poverty. I couldn't start to like them. I had to remind myself of what they put us all through.

The boys made it back with two minutes to spare. They held up two black Jackets, two white dress-up shirts, two black dress pants, two bow ties, two pairs of dress shoes , and two simple black masks. They organized the stuff together to make it look like two simple tuxes, black dress shoes, and black masks. They high-fived eachother in victory, for actually putting something together that's half decent. Princess Maggie and Quinn ran in with sweat dripping from both of their foreheads right after the boys were finished. Quinn had about 10 different color gowns on her arms and three pairs of shoes in her other hand. Princess Maggie had too many masks to count and five pairs of shoes in her hands.

"WEAK!" Quinn yelled at the boys who just rolled their eyes as if they were used to it. She is a child at heart.

Quinn shoved us behing our curtains to try on our costumes. Micheal's and Jacob's tuxes fit perfectly, as long with their dress shoes and masks. Quinn was pleased with the outfits, but not with the fact that the boys got bragging rights. However, I have been trying dresses on for four hours. Just when I've thought I've tried all the dresses in the store, she comes in with a new pile. I've tried everything from flowly flower dresses with nude stilletos, to skin tight dresses that show off your every curve with sparly black pumps. General Will and his pups took my brothers to go get lunch two hours ago and have yet to come back. I think their trying to avoid us.

"No. No. NO! What was I thinking?!" Quinn yells, once again, and she looks like she is about to bash her head into a wall. Princess Maggie was planted on the coach with both her hands over her face in frustration.

"Really, Quinn. Anything is fine. The red dress I tried on earlier was pretty." I tried to get them to give in, so I didn't have to go through this torture anymore.

Princess Maggie removed her hands to look at me, while Quinn just gawked at me shocked.

"Yes, Anna. You're right. The red dress was pretty. So were a lot of other dresses that you tried on. But we're not going for pretty! We're going for gorgeous! Stunning! How could you just settle on pretty when you will be trying to impress every unmated creature out there? If you meet your mate that night, I want their eye balls to pop out of their sockets and roll on the ground. I will not settle for pretty. Go change." She pointed back to my curtain. I sighed and went to go try on yet another dress.

20 dresses later, it seems that they both have given up.

"It's hopeless!" Quinn threw her head back and let out a frustrated scream.

"What about dress #694? We have yet to try that one on?" Princess Maggie tried to uplift Quinn's feelings.

"Too low cut. Only a girl with double D's could pull it off."

"#38?"

"Too short, too tight, and too slutty."

"#274?"

"The color would clash with her eyes."

"How about-"

"Wait! I've got it! I can't believe I didn't think of it before! I'm so STUPID!" She ran at inhumane speed out of the dressing rooms, cursing profanities at herself.

Princess Maggie let out a chuckle for her friend and sighed deeply due to the long day. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the stress-free zone.

"You know, Annabelle. I haven't forgotten about this morning's events. We still need to talk about your actions." She thought out loud, still keeping her eyes shut.

I froze in fear, remembering I will be punished.

"Yes, Princess. I understand my actions were unacceptable. I am willing recieve whatever punishment you seem fit."

She opened her eyes, and they held an emotion that I thought I wouldn't see expressed toward me. Sorrow.

"You don't like me very much. Do you?"

I opened my mouth to doubt her statement but she held her hand up, stopping me from saying anything.

"I mean, you don't like supernatural creatures at all. You despise them. You'd rather live your pitiful human life in safety, than deal with creatures like myself. That's why you're fighting this process so much. You don't want riches, even for a couple weeks. You'd rather live happily in poverty, with a human you could never fully love, than live in riches with a mate. Am I right?"

I stood there, speechless. I couldn't object, no matter how much I wanted to. I knew in the back of my mind that all of it was true.

She raised her eyebrow, waiting for me to answer the question.

"I- It's all I've ever known." I mumble quietly. She wouldn't have been able to hear me, if it weren't for her werewolf hearing.

She pursed her lips and nodded her head in understanding. At that moment, Quinn strutted through the door with a poofy white dress.

"This is it. It will be perfect, go try it on." Quinn shoved the dress into my hands and pushed me toward my curtain once again. I slipped on the dress. It was strapless and tight around my small waist, but poofed out under my belly button. The poof reached to the floor, but it wasn't long enough where I was stepping on it. I walked out to the pedestial and stepped up. I spun around and checked myself out in the mirror. Quinn was right. This was the one, it was perfection. I faced toward Princess Maggie and Quinn to see them both in toothy smiles.

"I knew it. I told you all!" Quinn sang and did a mini celebratory dance..

Princess Maggie came and slipped one inch heels onto my feel, with diamonds across the top. Once she was done, she came behind me and wrapped a white mask and tied the back. I looked in the mirror again and was awestruck. I didn't even look like myself, I was beautiful.

And once the dress was on, I wanted it straight back off. It didn't look like me, I didn't feel like myself. Looking in the mirror, it almost made me sick to think this is what I could become. I became antsy and wanted to strip of the gown right then and there.

"Can I go change?" I spat out, without meaning to.

"Uh. Of course, honey. Bring the dress back out so I can wrap it and you can leave." Quinn explained, shocked about my change of attitude.

I nodded my head and made my way back behind my curtain. I heard them mumbling, "she's just tired and hungry." and "she deffinetly loves it."

Once changed back into my normal set of clothing, I handed Quinn my gown, mask, and heels and we head to the front of the building. She wraps the dress in plastic and lays it beside both of my brothers suits. Quinn whispers something in Princess Maggie's ear and the Princess nods her head as she speaks. Quinn leans back and looks at me and gives me a warm smile.

"I loved spending time with you, Anna. I hope we can stay friends, and we'll talk a lot in the near future." Just when I think she will reach out her hand for me to shake, she wraps me in a big hug. I was shocked at first, but i couldn't stop the warm feeling in my heart when I wrapped my arms around her as well.

"Thank you, Quinn. I really hope the same as well." And this time, I meant it.

She unwrapped her arms around me and I did the same. Her smile showed warmth but her eyes held sympathy for me. She turned away from me and gave Princess Maggie a hug as well.

"Oh, you don't know how much I miss you when your busy with your kingdom business! I miss the old days!" She cried to her friend.

Princess Maggie let out a laugh, "What are you talking about, Quinn? We have sleepovers EVERY weekend and we see eachother at least three times a week! You can be so over dramatic sometimes!"

Quinn huffed out in annoyance. "For once, just let me have my fun!"

Princess Maggie laughed as we made our way out the door. Quinn was keeping the costumes so they were preserved until the actual ball. We all waved and said final goodbyes until we were out on the sidewalk again. We walked in comfortable silence for a minute, while everyone we passed bowed their heads in respect, or greeted Princess Maggie with hello's.

"We'll meet Will, Adam, Steven, and your brothers at the car. They are waiting for us." She announced. I nodded my head but still kept silent. She let out a chuckle, which made me look up to her in curiosity. She raised her eyebrow at me, but immediatly looked at the ground and smiled.

"I've never met a girl like you, Annabelle. In all my life, all the humans I've met showed some interest in our lifestyle. Even if it was in jealousy. And no one would ever think twice about disobeying a werewolf, in fear and regret. But with you, you dare to disrespect us, and I do see fear, but not the slightest bit of regret. It's absurd." She shook her head and chuckled.

"It's extremely frustrating actually. But, in a wierd sort of way, it's refreshing. I'm almost honored to know a headstrong human like you." She turned toward me, and her eyes sparkled with something, almost hope.

I shook my head, "I don't want to be noticed." I whispered.

She let out a short laugh, "Well you have definetly caught my attention. And probably every werewolf that you have met."

I stayed silent and looked forward, trying to not let her last statement get to me. We were quiet for another moment, until she decided to break the silence once again.

"Who was the boy you were with this morning? Wait. Let me rephrase that. What did that boy you were with mean to you?"

I almost choked. I wasn't expecting her to say that. I ran over words in my head, trying to think of what was right to say, but nothing sounded right.

"He's my best friend. His name is Connor. We've known eachother most of our lifetime." I said with confidence, making Connor seem like a good guy.

She nodded her head, "I believe you. But I don't think he's just your best friend if you shared a kiss like that." She chuckled the last part.

She saw the kiss. I just dug the hole to my own grave.

"Don't you dare think about lying to me, Annabelle. You will regret it." She warned me, her alpha tone pushing through.

"He's also my boyfriend." I whispered looking down at the ground in shame.

"Ah. That's the word I was looking for. Do you really think it's smart to have a boyfriend if you could be finding you mate at the ball? Especially, bringing him to your house when your house is full of werewolves?" She looked at me.

Anger filled my tone, "It's my life! No one should be able to control who and what I do! I love Connor!" I spat out at her.

Her face remained calm, but I could tell she was fighting with her wolf who wanted to come out.

"I forbid you to see Connor." She said, her voice level.

"What?" I gasped in disbelief.

"I forbid you to see Connor until the day of the dance." She turned her eyes toward me, and I could now see that they were pitch black. Her wolf has tooken over. She used her alpha command, so all at once I felt weight crush down on my shoulders. I knew the command was in motion, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"How could you do that?" I whispered, still in disbelief by her actions. So this was my punishment. It was worse than I thought.

She closed her eyes eyes, and took deep breathes trying to take full control over her wolf.

"I'm so sorry, Annabelle. It had to be done." She looked towards me, and I welcomed her blue eyes. Her eyes filled with sorrow. I will not seem weak. We continued to walk to the car in silence. Once we reached the car, I ran up to my brothers at full speed. My brothers noticed something was wrong and wrapped their arms around me. They whispered reassuring things in my ears as I welcomed the comfort. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Princess Maggie whispering to General and he just nodded his head satisfied.

We all hopped into the car and started the long drive home. Princess Maggie and General Will explained the events next week, but all I did was tune them out. All I wanted to do was see Connor, but that couldn't happen. I was trapped, being suffocated, and I didn't like it one bit. We continued the long drive home with small chat, but I refused to talk. Princess Maggie stared at me with pleading eyes, but all I could do was ignore her. We finally made it home. I ran to my front door, opened it, and ran to my room, slamming the door. I didn't even want to see my parents. Knowing that the Princess will explain today's events to them, I didn't want to be involved. I sat on my bed and finally let the tears out. They shouldn't be able to dictate everything I do. I don't know how long I sat there for, until I finally gave into the darkness that has been missed for a long time.